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WLSLEYiN ARGU
TME COLLEGE P 1PER.
BLOOMINGTON, ILL., DECEMBER 11, 1896.
CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE.
One morning in 1812, Lord Byron awoke and found
himself famous. The cause of this sudden popularity
was a poem-Childe Harold's Pilgrimage which had
just been published. Up to this time Byron's work
had not been especially brilliant. In 1807 he had
published the Hours in Idleness, and had taken pains
to inform the public that the poems were the work of
a young man of nineteen. Whether he intended to
show what excellent work a young man could do, or
whether the critics might consider the work as the
promise of better things, we cannot say. The critics
seemed to take the announcement as a proclamation
of the first fact, and criticised the work as though it
had been written by a mature writer. The reply of
Byron was the English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,
in which, without much discrimination, he hurled his
anathemas at other writers whom he supposed the
critics favored, and in his invectives surpassed even
the critics whom he attacked. Neither of these works
had any special value. The first was juvenile and
narrow not better than many other collections of
youthful poetry. The second was bitter, and did not
pretend to be just or to give a correct view and ade-quate
criticism of the writers attacked.
The sudden popularity of his next attempt may
arouse some surprise, and the more when we consider
that the best parts did not appear till later. The rea-son
for the welcome given to Cantos I. and II. is to be
explained partly by the revelations of the author con-cerning
himself and his attitude toward the ideas of
morality prevalent in England, partly by the subject
itself.
The new poem was the expression of a distinct per-
S.
NO. 6.
sonality, It was unlike the other poetry then being
written, and unlike the poetry which was regarded as
permanently valuable as an expression of English
character. The writer seemed at war with society,
and people were at once interested in the attack.
England had had her immoral poets, but Byron was
as distinct from these as he was from those whose
aim was distinctly moral, The type of poetry then
prevalent was, to a great extent, under the influence
of Pope. All was graceful and pleasing to the reader.
It was a reflection of the days of chivalry, and abstract
virtues rather than men, were most prominent. Childe
Harold did not deal with abstract virtues, and the men
and women who appeared in it were not by any means
too good. They could enjoy some things which had
the ' honied sting of sin,' and in this respect Byron's
poetry differed from the representative poetry of the
past, as well as from that of his own day. Thirteen
years before, Campbell published the Pleasures of
Hope. Scott had already written the Lay of the Last
Minstrel, Marmion, and the Lady of the Lake. Words-worth
had published his greatest poem, but his readers
were few, and his tone was deeply reverential. And
now was heard a new voice, musical but not reveren-tial,
and purposely speaking in a gloomy tone. It
seemed to be the herald of a coming change, and to
it men were willing to listen.
Most of the readers of Byron believed that his
poetry was all wrong. It derided the development of
ages. He himself indulged in vices which would have
banished other men from society. His poetry told of
his own misery, and the telling was a sort of pleasure.
Childe Harold seemed to record actual experiences,
while in the poetry to which the English had been ac-customed,
the personality of the writer was only dimly
set forth. The Pleasures of Hope did not relate the
author's experiences. The poetry of Scott was imper-
THLE
VOL. III.

The Argus, Illinois Wesleyan University; printed by The Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL from 1894-2009 and P&P Press, Peoria, IL from 2009-present.

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WLSLEYiN ARGU
TME COLLEGE P 1PER.
BLOOMINGTON, ILL., DECEMBER 11, 1896.
CHILDE HAROLD'S PILGRIMAGE.
One morning in 1812, Lord Byron awoke and found
himself famous. The cause of this sudden popularity
was a poem-Childe Harold's Pilgrimage which had
just been published. Up to this time Byron's work
had not been especially brilliant. In 1807 he had
published the Hours in Idleness, and had taken pains
to inform the public that the poems were the work of
a young man of nineteen. Whether he intended to
show what excellent work a young man could do, or
whether the critics might consider the work as the
promise of better things, we cannot say. The critics
seemed to take the announcement as a proclamation
of the first fact, and criticised the work as though it
had been written by a mature writer. The reply of
Byron was the English Bards and Scotch Reviewers,
in which, without much discrimination, he hurled his
anathemas at other writers whom he supposed the
critics favored, and in his invectives surpassed even
the critics whom he attacked. Neither of these works
had any special value. The first was juvenile and
narrow not better than many other collections of
youthful poetry. The second was bitter, and did not
pretend to be just or to give a correct view and ade-quate
criticism of the writers attacked.
The sudden popularity of his next attempt may
arouse some surprise, and the more when we consider
that the best parts did not appear till later. The rea-son
for the welcome given to Cantos I. and II. is to be
explained partly by the revelations of the author con-cerning
himself and his attitude toward the ideas of
morality prevalent in England, partly by the subject
itself.
The new poem was the expression of a distinct per-
S.
NO. 6.
sonality, It was unlike the other poetry then being
written, and unlike the poetry which was regarded as
permanently valuable as an expression of English
character. The writer seemed at war with society,
and people were at once interested in the attack.
England had had her immoral poets, but Byron was
as distinct from these as he was from those whose
aim was distinctly moral, The type of poetry then
prevalent was, to a great extent, under the influence
of Pope. All was graceful and pleasing to the reader.
It was a reflection of the days of chivalry, and abstract
virtues rather than men, were most prominent. Childe
Harold did not deal with abstract virtues, and the men
and women who appeared in it were not by any means
too good. They could enjoy some things which had
the ' honied sting of sin,' and in this respect Byron's
poetry differed from the representative poetry of the
past, as well as from that of his own day. Thirteen
years before, Campbell published the Pleasures of
Hope. Scott had already written the Lay of the Last
Minstrel, Marmion, and the Lady of the Lake. Words-worth
had published his greatest poem, but his readers
were few, and his tone was deeply reverential. And
now was heard a new voice, musical but not reveren-tial,
and purposely speaking in a gloomy tone. It
seemed to be the herald of a coming change, and to
it men were willing to listen.
Most of the readers of Byron believed that his
poetry was all wrong. It derided the development of
ages. He himself indulged in vices which would have
banished other men from society. His poetry told of
his own misery, and the telling was a sort of pleasure.
Childe Harold seemed to record actual experiences,
while in the poetry to which the English had been ac-customed,
the personality of the writer was only dimly
set forth. The Pleasures of Hope did not relate the
author's experiences. The poetry of Scott was imper-
THLE
VOL. III.